Story by Prosper Kwaku Selassy Agbitor
Vice President, H.E. Professor Naana Jane Opoku Agyemang has emphasized the government’s commitment in prioritizing the right of every child to engender national development.
Vice President, H.E. Professor Naana Jane Opoku Agyemang
In a passionate speech at a Strategic Planning retreat, organized by the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) in partnership with UNICEF on Wednesday January 28, 2026, the Vice President stressed the need for collective action to improve the welfare of children in the country.
H.E. Opoku Agyemang further highlighted the government’s commitment to implementing strategic child-centered reforms, including care reform, digital social resources, and coordinated social services.
The Vice President’s words come as Ghana grapples with challenges such as child poverty, child marriage, and adolescent pregnancy.
According to statistics, 16% of children under 18 are married or in informal unions, and 15% of girls aged 15-19 have been pregnant.
Despite these challenges, Ghana has made notable gains in children’s welfare, including 95-97% vaccination coverage for key vaccines in the first year of life.
That notwithstanding, the government aims to build on this progress by implementing initiatives to improve birth registration, education, and healthcare.
The Vice President urged stakeholders, including government agencies, civil society, and the private sector, to work together to ensure every child grows up safe, healthy, and well-educated.
“The soul of a society is revealed in how it treats its children,” the Vice President said, quoting Nelson Mandela.
Indicating the country’s readiness, she assures, “As we move forward, the focus will be on tracking progress and ensuring that commitments translate into tangible improvements in the lives of children nationwide.”
For her part, Dr Audrey Smock Amoah, Director General, National Development Planning Commission, stressed that the retreat has reaffirmed a fundamental development truth: the wellbeing of children and that adolescents is the foundation of sustainable national development.
“ As the Constitution of Ghana, in Article 36, enjoins the State to safeguard the welfare of all citizens and ensure balanced development, our responsibility to children is not optional, it is a constitutional and developmental imperative”, Dr. Amoah emphasized.
She said revealed that the deliberations for the strategic planning workshop focused on priority areas where accelerated action is both urgent and achievable.
“On maternal, child, and especially neonatal mortality, we have agreed that these preventable deaths remain unacceptable”, the Director General said.
source:www.senaradioonline.com
